{"id":7040438,"date":"2026-08-17T07:20:21","date_gmt":"2026-08-17T07:20:21","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/peraltafinancing.com\/uncategorized\/follow-my-research-at-grail-watch-wiki\/"},"modified":"2026-08-17T07:20:21","modified_gmt":"2026-08-17T07:20:21","slug":"follow-my-research-at-grail-watch-wiki","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/fivemor.com\/?p=7040438","title":{"rendered":"Follow My Research at Grail Watch Wiki"},"content":{"rendered":"


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I have always seen myself as a storyteller as well as a researcher. This is the reason I started the Grail Watch website, the Watch Files podcast, and the related social media channels. I love to share the stories of the people, the companies, and the craft of watchmaking. I remain committed to this, but the time has come to share my work more openly. My research notebook, Grail Watch Wiki<\/a>, is now open to readers and collaborators as a complementary resource!<\/p>\n

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Grail Watch Wiki is officially open to visitors!<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n<\/div>\n

A Promise to Readers<\/h2>\n

My promise to readers and subscribers is always to tell a story<\/strong>, helping them to better understand the history and hobby of watchmaking. From the outside, the Grail Watch website looks pretty quiet. I have been working to publish more often, but even in a best-case scenario a reader could only expect one article every week or two. Although I\u2019ve experimented with different formats, my goal is to keep up this steady schedule and focus on quality storytelling not a constant barrage.<\/p>\n

The Grail Watch website is the core that feeds the mailing list and social media channels: My goal is to publish a newsletter every week, but no more frequently than that. And I don\u2019t find it all that productive to post too frequently on social media, though I do enjoy the conversation on Mastodon, Instagram, Discord, and forums. Though I haven\u2019t abandoned the Watch Files podcast, I have not yet brought it back from its long hiatus.<\/p>\n

Despite this calm publishing schedule, Grail Watch research has been taking up an increasingly-large share of my spare time. I\u2019m sure it would shock my readers and subscribers to learn that I have completed research into dozens of historic watchmakers and companies over the last year<\/strong>, representing thousands of hours of work! In fact, I\u2019ve been able to maintain this level of effort for almost a decade, building a private library of documentation and writing millions of words of notes.<\/p>\n

For the last few years, my research notebook has taken the form of a personal wiki, since I\u2019m very familiar with this software after decades devoted to Wikipedia and Watch Wiki. That site, Grail Watch Wiki, has been visible to anyone who happened across it for years, though I never intended anyone to actually visit. The time has come to change that.<\/p>\n

The Grail Watch Research Process<\/h2>\n

A few years ago I wrote an article outlining the research process I follow when investigating the history of watchmaking: Rather than start with the currently-established story of a brand I begin with a blank page<\/strong>, searching for historic primary source data to build a solid foundation. I have discovered more sources of data since then, but my approach remains the same:<\/p>\n

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  1. Build a timeline of the company based on official business registrations and other reliable primary sources<\/li>\n
  2. Investigate the primary people involved in the company, building a family tree and establishing their relationships<\/li>\n
  3. Research companies related through people, corporate ties, and professional alliances<\/li>\n
  4. Search for advertisements and press mentions that establish a story and correlate this with the timeline<\/li>\n
  5. Look for interesting stories to share on the Grail Watch website or Watch Files podcast<\/li>\n<\/ol>\n

    This approach has served me well, and I have dozens of interesting stories to share. But each step tends to add more new avenues of investigation, and each new discovery exposes more research left to do. This is why I haven\u2019t always reached step 5, which would result in an article and newsletter being published.<\/p>\n

    This is why I am now promoting my private research notebook to a public source of information. Although I won\u2019t push it too hard, I will begin sharing the work I have been performing at all five steps of my process<\/strong> rather than waiting for a story to reach the end.<\/p>\n

    Introducing Grail Watch Wiki<\/h2>\n

    Grail Watch Wiki is my personal notebook. I do not intend for it to become an encyclopedia or even a complete reference work, and I am not opening it up to other authors. But it has reached the point that it needs to be a little more presentable for public consumption!<\/p>\n

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    This article on Nouvelle Fabrique de Tavannes is typical of completed articles at Grail Watch Wiki<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n<\/div>\n